Scientism and Values.pdf - Ludwig von Mises Institute

Growth) in Biology and in Education 191
do not. From these data, therefore, I find it difficult to see that
the ideas of "going togetherness" and "variations" are much
refined beyond the common-sense understanding of these that an
experienced teacher possesses without any special study of growth.
Hughes (5) has examined variability among and within a hundred
boys, ages four to twelve. Instead of plotting all growth ages
for one boy on a graph, he has used a single growth age, such as
height age, on the vertical axis and the chronological age on the
horizontal. The curves for the one hundred boys are plotted on
one graph. Ten graphs for ten biological and mental attributes
are thus presented. Concerning these graphs he says: "The evidence
is clear in showing that there are great differences in the
distribution of measures (ordinate values) when the chronological
age is held constant. In addition it should be noted that the variation
of age (abscissa values) is almost equally great when the value
of the measure is constant."
Some idea of the differences in distribution is secured by examining
the height age and the mental age curves. At height age
ten about ninety percent of the curves spread over a horizontal
distance of three chronological years. At mental age ten about
ninety percent of the curves spread over a horizontal distance of
three and a half chronological years. The other sets of curves
are quite similar in spread to the mental age curves.
Hughes' paper develops a new view of organismic growth.
Instead of being satisfied with the organismic growth curve of an
individual as the measure of the "center of gravity" of growth,
he plots a narrow band and wider band over the organismic curve
by specified mathematical techniques. The organismic curve is
approximately at the center of these two bands. The inner band
is about half the width of the wider band.
Concerning these graphs Hughes says:
The central dense band has been labeled the organismic area and has
been presented to suggest that for management and educational purposes
the child is generally "mature" within the limits of the band on
an ordinate and generally "ready" to fit a level on any abscissa. Also